This invention relates to an impact tool. Specifically, the present invention relates to an ergonomic impact tool.
Impact tools, such as dent pullers, have a variety of uses. As one example, an impact tool can assist with the disassembly of an industrial gas turbine (IGT) during an overhaul. During an overhaul, a technician must remove the various flanges from the outside of the case. However, the heat and expansion cycles encountered during use of the IGT can make the removal of these flanges difficult. One conventional method uses an impact tool to dislodge the flanges from the IGT case.
Despite using the impact tool, removing the flanges can prove difficult. The technician often must actuate the impact tool a significant number of times (e.g. 20–80) to dislodge the flange. Repeating this process for each flange on the IGT case (e.g. 6 flanges per case) could take approximately one hour.
The use of conventional impact tools has several drawbacks. First, conventional impact tools the impact force to transfer from the tool to the technician. Specifically, the impact forces transfer from the tool to the hand, forearm and elbow of the technician. Given the number of repetitions and the number of flanges, these impact forces may create discomfort in the hand, forearm or elbow of the technician.
Second, conventional impact tools require the technician to orient the hand and forearm in an awkward position. This awkward position prevents the technician from applying the maximum possible amount of force to the impact tool. This requires the technician to actuate the impact tool a greater number of times to dislodge the flanges. Furthermore, the awkward position may also have an effect on the aforementioned discomfort with the technician.
Third, conventional impact tools can also pinch the technician. When grasping the impact tool, part of the technician's hand could extend past the slider. This portion of the technician's hand could contact the stop during actuation of the impact tool. Since the slider is weighted, this pinching can also cause discomfort with the technician.